CHAPTER 5

THE HOSPITAL WING.

"Uh… hi." Ginny said awkwardly, standing next to his bed, and going red.

He looked at her, surprised, and a smile spread across his face. "Hey. How are you?"

Ginny laughed, despite her nervousness. "I think the question here is how are you?"

He shrugged. "Hey, all I did was fall off a broom. You're the one who was running out of the great hall looking sick this morning. But I'm fine. Just got a broken arm. Madam Pompfrey says that it'll be better tomorrow though."

"Does it hurt?" Now she felt like punching herself.

"Nah, not really. It's much worse when you don't have magic to fix up your arm though. In the muggle world you have to wear this-" he motioned to his cast "for almost 2 months. And all your friends sign it. By the time it comes off you wish you still had it. Hey, I know, d'you want to sign it for me?"

"But… it's coming off tomorrow, isn't it?"

"It'd mean a lot to me if you did." Derek said, batting his eye lashes and looking at her with a mock pleading look.

Ginny grinned. "Fine then. Got a quill on you?"

He handed one over to her and she bent over him to sign her name inside a heart, with a smilie face next to it.

She rectified her position, and handed the quill back to him.

"Thanks." He said. "Hey, isn't it supposed to be dinner?"

"Yeah, but I wasn't hungry."

"Worried sick about me maybe?" He asked cheekily.

"Oh, but of course! What did you think?"

He grinned up at her again. He did that a lot. He had very white teeth, all even.

"So that's why I only have one visitor! I was wondering. Pretty much a social whirlwind you know?"

Ginny looked heavenwards but smiled nonetheless.

"Uh, I got you these." She said, holding out a pack of bertie botts' every flavour beans. Liar. You stole them from Fred. "As thanks for the fanta."

He took them from her and her skin burnt where he touched her.

"Hey, thanks. But the fanta was no problem. I have a million. Refilling spell."

Ginny raised her eye brows. "Smart." She observed.

Which was when Madam Pomfrey started yelling. "OUT! OUT I SAY! YOU'LL SEE YOUR BOYFRIEND TOMORROW!"

Ginny turned scarlet. "He's not my boyfriend!" she exclaimed, not trusting herself to look at Derek she mumbled a 'goodbye', shot Madam Pomfrey a withering look and vanished through the door.

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"It was absolutely mortifying. The whole wing was staring at us and started whispering the moment I left." Ginny moaned, hiding her face in her hands as she often did when she was in the presence of her best friend, and needed to get all that frustration and embarrassment away.

"Aw, come on Gin. It can't have been that bad. What did Derek say?"

"I don't know," Ginny wailed "I was too embarrassed to look at him, I just fled."

Hermione patted her shoulder amiably, and smiled at her, shaking her head. "Oh Gin. What am I going to do with you? You're so hopelessly in love with him. Promise me you won't get yourself hurt."

Ginny looked up at her and smiled slightly. "I'll do my best."

Hermione shook her head. "That's not good enough!" And Ginny grinned properly this time.

"Oh, all right, I promise. There, happy?" And Hermione smiled, knowing that the worse was yet to come.